


Otherside

by type_here



Category: The Penumbra Podcast
Genre: Gen, Panic Attacks
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-12
Updated: 2017-10-12
Packaged: 2019-01-16 15:14:58
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,156
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12345216
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/type_here/pseuds/type_here
Summary: I'll meet you on the other side.(Or Type has post Promised Land part one speculative feels.)





	Otherside

There is a world before you. A world glowing red, a portal about to either bring you somewhere else or kill you. Your brain still throb and you still can’t look at the one you dragged into this and still stand by your side.

There was a world before here, in this tunnel. It was red and desolate like anger. Like the anger that echoed back at you and dragged you back to a past you’d rather forget. It held better promises than here.

There was a world before you. It was broken and torn by war. Stories were like shining beacons of hope and you were a protector.

There was a world before him. The Halcyon days, the sweet smell of flowers even though the world still burned. Every day you wish you could go back but you can never come back. Not when you’ve reached such a threshold.

There was a world along with them. Through thick or thin they are your family. You are theirs.b Why it goddamn hurts so much?

There was a world after him. You never wanted anything so much than to die. Stories were like a salvation in the broken pieces of your young soul forced to grow too fast..

There was a world after her It felt better without her. Still, you cry at the welts on your back still sting. Their memories will always sting.

There was a world after him. Bittersweet in leaving but all the better for it. At least you won’t break him. You were too scared to break him.

There will be a world after you. Dying is easy, so you've been told. All you can do is cross the portal to the mysterious dome, to that El Dorado only heard of in stories. That and hope you’ll survive to see another day.

You wonder for a short moment if it works. Then comes the sound, not unlike something you've heard before. The sound, not unlike something you ever wanted to hear again.

You chuckle without amusement, of course you're shit out of luck.

You look at each other and nod. You both step through.

The world you're in is not the world you knew before. It's not even in a metaphorical way. Where did you..? How is it even possible? As much as you want to believe in the stories, they’re not true right? Then you think about the old Martian tech, the teleporters.

You want to be sick. You don’t have time as two persons walk toward you.

And then you see her, a ghost with whiter hair then you remember.

You hear her, a voice softer and raspier than what you remember. All you remember is her anger. It used to growl like thunder just before the lightning strike.

The parchment skin of her hand touches your cheek and you flinch. All you can see is the ghost of her, the poltergeist that haunts your dreams, turning them into nightmares.

You flinch, shoulders hunching and arms shooting up to protect your face, fists ready to punch back. You can't look at her. You shake and you shake and your breath hitches and your lungs become so painful you wonder if this time around you'll really die.

After all this, she'll be the one to kill you too, just like she killed your brother.

"Juno?"

You stumble back, eyes wild and oh so frightened. To see her again, in the flesh, after everything she did and said.

" Don't touch me."

You are cornered animal about to fight back, a scrappy feral cat getting its claws out.  
Yet, she gets closer, ignoring the warning signs, wanting to touch you again after so long. 

"Darling..."

Of course, you snap. Of course, you lash out. You're not dumb, you know what she can and she will do. You push her back, ready to fight for your goddamn life, even if it's worth nothing.

" I SAID, DON'T. TOUCH. ME!" 

"Juno, please!"

" YOU CAN'T BE HERE! YOU'RE SUPPOSED TO BE DEAD! I SAW IT! I. SAW. IT!"

Eyes can't lie, can they? It was what you were about to say, but you know the goddamn truth. It can be manipulated, like all the rest. Just like you. You pull at your hair, taking another step back. Your eyes never leave her, lest she strikes like the viper she is. The air in your lungs feels more like hot lava than oxygen, searing a path with every breath you can't take. You are back in the too tiny place you called a home in Old Town. You are back to this hell, the sound of her yelling and the sounds of war. Your entire soul shakes with the memories of pain and suffering at her hands. Panic catches you like the undertow of a tidal wave and you have no idea which way is up.

"Juno?" 

Another voice, sharper and softer at the same time. The worry and concern behind her tone cut through the haze of panic.

"Juno look at me. Please, look at me and take a deep breath. Juno please, for once in your life listen to me and just breath before you pass out."

You see her look sideways, to the viper you once upon a time called your mother.

"Leave. I don't know what happened between the two of your but just go. The welcoming committee can wait later. If you need somebody to watch us because we stepped in your precious dome, please go find someone else. I'm going to deal with this."

She looks back at you, her expression still one of concern.

"I'll count to five and I want you to breath in. Then I'll count to five and you breath out, okay? Can you do this for me? One, tw-"...

She continued the count for a while and you breathed. You breathed for what seems like hours. You breathed and you are now left shaking and empty and oh so tired of it all. You hug yourself and feel like you are about to throw up.

"Can I touch you?"

You nod, not even trusting your voice at the moment. As soon as her hand touch your shoulder you get closer. You need a heartbeat to listen to, something to ground you. this seems to do the trick this and her arms slowly wrapping you in an embrace. She makes sure you are okay with this and you just not again.

"How? She... I was her. She was dead. Why is she...? I saw her dead."

At any other time, you would laugh at yourself for sounding so pathetic. Right now though, your thoughts hurt. Everything hurts. Memories hurt the most with their jagged edges poking at you again.

And all you can do is cling unto Alessandra and cling unto hope. She was right; dying is easy. Here you hope you'll survive to see another day..


End file.
